Rangers could match England's best, says Walter Smith

Walter Smith insists Rangers could match the best in England if ever they were given the chance to become part of the Premier League.

The Ibrox boss remains confident that both Rangers and Celtic would not be out of place in the English top flight despite a 3-0 drubbing by Arsenal in the Emirates Cup.

The Scottish giants were stunned by a brace from English teenager Jack Wilshere and a sublime finish from Croatian Eduardo to provide Arsenal with their second Emirates Cup triumph in three years.

Smith is confident his side can rise to the challenge of a Champions League campaign in the coming season but he also believes that, given an opportunity, the Gers would more than hold their own in the English game.

"The level of Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal etc is not to be compared to the Scottish league - if it was, there would be something wrong with your league and not ours," said Smith.

"There is a huge disparity at the top level, but not at the other level from a Rangers and Celtic perspective, it is not there.

"But it is also there among the English teams. If you take away the top four or five, I do not think the rest of the league play to a similar level to them."

Smith is also confident his side can avoid being European whipping boys this season.

"Having missed out on Europe last season, it was a sharp reminder to our boys of what we come up against at the top level of European football," added Smith.

"It is not very often we come up against a team who play in a manner which Arsene Wenger has them playing. They were excellent in terms of possession and speed.

"It is not surprising to see Arsenal get to the semi-finals of the Champions League when you see the level at which they play.

"I keep reading newspapers saying they should be spending money and bringing in other players.

"Well, the two Arsenal teams I have seen playing over the weekend would be sufficient for me to say they will put up a good enough challenge in all of the competitions they are involved in this year."